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Sleep Paralysis at Work

Submitted by TPadmin on Wed, 05/01/2013 - 13:45

It was a normal day at work in a warehouse; forklift engines humming, scanners beeping and 18-wheeler trucks coming and leaving the loading dock. Every morning around the same time, things slowed down a bit. I never understood why, but it gave the guys some time to huddle together and pow-wow for a short time; however, on this particular day, instead of talking with the co-workers, which is what I usually spent this lull time doing, I decided to use that time to relax.

I propped my feet up on the dashboard of the forklift that I was driving and began tinkering with the RF (radio frequency) scanning device that we used to inventory product; and the next thing you know, I fell asleep. Even though I am sure I didn’t sleep for long (because I didn’t get myself fired for snoozing on the job), there were some problems when I tried to wake up.

My eyes popped open and instantly, I realized that I had been asleep on the job literally. Startled, I tried to jump up and rush back to work. That’s when the strangest thing happened: nothing. I couldn’t move a muscle. My first thought was that I might be dreaming but that couldn’t be it. I recognized that things were real and I was no longer asleep. This realization instantly sent fear though me. I can’t begin to tell you all the thoughts that ran through my head. I probably would’ve panicked but, of course, I couldn’t move. I just slowed my thoughts, took a deep breath and waited. It wasn’t long at all before I snapped back into my body and, boy, was I relieved!

I’ve told many people that story and the vast majority of them look at me as if I’m crazy or simply making it up. Every once in a while, however, someone will say, “Yeah! That’s happened to me before too!” Even though this happened to me well over a decade ago, every time I hear that I’m not alone in the experience, I feel a little more relieved.

I really appreciate you guys for providing this outlet for people to share their stories as they relate to sleep. I look forward to reading everyone else’s adventures!